John 1–10 and John 11–21

Abstract

mary coloe’s FeminisT theological commentary on the Gospel of John provides a fitting addition to the Wisdom Commentary Series. Coloe interprets the entire Gospel through the lens of Wisdom. The Wisdom of Solomon is an “essential intertext,” helping to portray the Johannine Jesus as Wisdom incarnate (p. 551). Coloe regularly evokes the female figure of Sophia, along with grammatically appropriate feminine pronouns, to convey the Gospel’s primary theme of God’s creative and life-giving power. Thus, many of the chapter titles, following Coloe’s outline of the Gospel, name Sophia as the active agent in the Gospel: e.g., “Sophia Finds her Home” (John 1:1–18); “The First Days: Sophia Gathers Disciples” (John 1:19–51); and later, “Sophia Celebrates the Jewish Festivals” (5:1–10:42), “Sophia’s Friends are Taught and Comforted” (13:1–17:26), “Sophia Births ‘the Children of God’” (18:1–19:42). The focus on Wisdom is further reinforced by quotations from Jewish wisdom texts that open every chapter, so that, as Coloe states, “her presence does not go unrecognized” (p. xlvi).